Lamb is probably my favourite meat, and I come to that conclusion not just because of how tender and delicious it can be in dishes, but because it was the food I missed the most while I was living in Thailand. You basically can’t find lamb anywhere in Thailand except for expatriate pubs, and I definitely didn’t go to Thailand to associate with drunken English ‘farangs’ who had no interest in immersing themselves in Thai culture and customs. So the first thing I always asked for from my mum when I paid visits to Sydney was Roast Lamb. It’s actually quite ironic, given that I used to hate roasts of any kind, finding them bland and boring. Maybe it’s one of those things that grows on you with age, such as wine and staying in rather than getting drunk and enduring a hangover the next day. I was even thinking to myself today how averse I’ve become to the thought of having a hangover – so much so that I really have no desire at all to get drunk at all! I suppose that’s a good thing, isn’t it, but I think it’s a sign that I’m approaching thirty.
Indeed, I would cook lamb frequently if it wasn’t for the outrageously high cost of it. My mum was telling me a few months ago how much lamb used to cost just after her and dad had gotten married, and it amazed me! Roast lamb and the more prime cuts of lamb are becoming luxuries in our day and age. For example, I bought some lamb to cook an African Peanut Stew yesterday, and just pure diced lamb (not specified as shoulder or leg) cost me $25. I’m going to have to stretch that food for a while! This recipe, one of the earlier recipes in my cooking journal, is also a Jamie Oliver recipe (don’t worry – my sources are very diverse), and I decided to cook it because I’ve really come to enjoy leeks and I was intrigued about the combination of the lamb with the bean mixture.
As always, I enjoyed the preparation of this meal just as much, arguably even more, than the meal itself. I just find the process so relaxing, and I sit on a stool in my kitchen preparing the ingredients with a beer and some comedy on in the background – I’ve recently gone through the entire Seinfeld season again just during my cooking. I think the combination of relaxing with the food, the beer and the comedy has an effect on me, because when I looked back over my notes for this recipe, I saw this arbitrary entry that simply went “I wish I was Kramer!” I have absolutely no idea how, at the time, I thought that was somehow connected with the process of cooking this dish. Anyway, one of the techniques that infused the lamb with flavour was to stab it all over and to stuff it with the garlic, thyme and rosemary. It smelled absolutely beautiful. Preparing the bean mixture was also quite enjoyable, and seemed like an example of very rustic French cooking. The direction to blitz half of the bean mixture reminded me how Jamie Oliver loves contrasting textures, such as in his Mushroom Risotto with the contrast between the oozy mushrooms in the risotto and the grilled and crispy mushrooms on top of the risotto. Perhaps the most important thing that I learnt about cooking lamb from this recipe was how to get the meat right. In other words, there are only two ways to cook lamb – relatively quickly, or very slowly. Cooking it quickly results in red and moist meat, while cooking it slowly (my preference) makes it tender and allows it to fall apart. While I was very happy with the result, I think I became stuck in no-man’s land between these two methods of cooking. I was cooking it slowly, but I was becoming so tired and hungry that I decided to cut the cooking short and eat it as is. Nevertheless, the lamb was delicious and the beans gave it that satisfying accompaniment.
Recipe (serves 4):
2kg leg of lamb
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled
Small bunch of fresh thyme
Couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 medium leeks, peeled and sliced diagonally 2cm thick
2 onions, finely sliced
1 bay leaf
2 small bunches of fresh parsley
4 x 400g tins of flageolet (or cannellini) beans
1.5L lamb, chicken or vegetable stock
Preheat the oven to full whack. Stab the lamb all over with a small sharp life, then rub all over with a good pinch of salt and pepper and a lug of olive oil. Slice 4 garlic cloves and poke the slices into the incisions made, along with some small sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Put the tray on the top rack of the oven.
Add the leeks, onions and remaining garlic cloves to another roasting tray with a good lug of olive oil, along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Place on a medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the leek and onions have softened.
Add a bouquet garni of the bay leaf, remaining thyme and 1 bunch of parsley and add to the leeks, together with the tinned beans and their juices. Pour in the stock, give a stir and put in the oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees and cook for 1¼ hours. While the meat rests for 15 minutes, place the beans on a high heat and reduce to desired consistency.
Remove the beans from the heat when ready to serve and spoon a third of them into a bowl. Mush them up then stir them back through the rest of the beans to make them creamy. Finely chop the remaining parsley and stir through the beans. Serve the lamb over the beans.
Category: French
Source: “Jamie does...” by Jamie Oliver
Rating: Five stars
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